


Just Beyond the Border

by bewaretheboojum



Series: Curryverse [7]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Robin (Comics), Robin (Comics), Superboy (Comics), Young Justice (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kisses, M/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24189715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bewaretheboojum/pseuds/bewaretheboojum
Summary: Written for Tim/Kon Week 2020 Prompt 5 - Hurt/ComfortKon and Tim are out on another covert mission together. Kon has expended a bit too much energy using his magic to keep them concealed...
Relationships: Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent
Series: Curryverse [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1530779
Comments: 28
Kudos: 113
Collections: TimKon Week





	Just Beyond the Border

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to txbookeater for the help betaing this!

Kon's chest ached as he struggled to keep pace with Tim. The night air was cold and brisk, but to Kon it felt thick and heavy as if he was trying to breathe in a cloud.

The moon was nearly full that night, and it peeked periodically through the canopy of trees above them. The sky was a clear dark blue and full of brilliantly shining stars. Tim was several paces ahead of Kon, moving smoothly and easily through the forest, not making a sound as they made their way back to their camp.

Leaving their horses behind, they had set out that evening to scout outposts Luthor’s men had set up near their border. Tim wanted to sneak in, count heads and tents as best they could and then get back to their camp without engaging with Luthor’s men. And while they had been almost entirely successful, they had encountered a group of Luthor's Rangers scrounging for firewood near where Tim and Kon had posted up for their recon.

Kon had to use more of his magic than he would have preferred to keep them hidden from the group. He had camouflaged both Tim and himself from sight, but Tim wanted to press closer to see if they could hear what Luthor's men were discussing and maybe get some sense of whether they were considering any border raids. Kon had conceded that it was a good idea, but he had allowed Tim to get much too close to the group for much too long. Kon had expended most of his energy by the time Tim had been satisfied with what they had learned.

They had learned that no border raids were imminent. Wayne would be grateful to hear that, at least. It gave them all more time to negotiate with Luthor and shore up their defenses. While Kon had some level of hope that Luthor would eventually back off and stop with veiled threats, Tim had less faith in Luthor. He and Wayne were always preparing for the worst.

Wishing briefly that they had thought to bring some candy or nuts or something that would give him energy, Kon pushed on. While exhaustion tugged heavily at him, he did his best to keep up with Tim, all of his instincts pushing him to stay close to the other man.

They were nearing an edge of the forest, the moonlight growing brighter as they approached the treeline. Beyond the clearing was a stream that they could follow back to their campsite. The going would be easier, then. Kon wouldn’t have to worry about dodging through bracken and fallen logs as he walked. The soft, mournful call of an owl, reminding their mate to return to them with food, wafted out through the forest around them. Kon focused on the sound to distract himself from the tightness in his chest. 

Exhaustion made Kon's legs heavy and, as Tim paused, carefully peering out from the forest into the clearing, Kon felt his energy flag even more.

“We’re almost there,” Tim said, his voice soft and low. He was watching Kon with worried eyes as he spoke. “Maybe another fifteen minutes’ walk. Can you make it that far? I can run back and get the horses for you so you can ride the rest of the way.”

Kon’s mind and his magic immediately rejected the idea. The thought of Tim pushing ahead to camp, putting more space and distance between the two of them was almost too much to bear right now. 

Kon shook his head fiercely as he worked to catch his breath.

“I’m fine. Let’s keep going.”

Tim eyed him worriedly for a moment before nodding his head and proceeding silently out through the clearing.

Soon they would be back and Kon could climb into the tent and curl up in his bedroll. 

Kon worked hard to keep pace with Tim, feeling any distance between them like some type of physical barrier. He was so focused on the curve of Tim's back, that he tripped over a fallen tree branch and stumbled.

A wave of exhausted surprise washed over him. Kon felt his heart leap in his chest and alarm flashed through his head like a sudden flash of bright light. Reaching out his hands to catch his fall, he found himself tumbling into Tim's arms instead of to the cold, frozen ground beneath him.

"I've got you," Tim said in a hushed, reassuring voice. "I've got you."

Tim was a warm, solid presence. Kon wrapped his arms around Tim’s slender waist as Tim steadied him carefully, helping Kon catch his balance. They straightened as Tim looked up at Kon, the thick woven coat he wore to protect himself against the cold soft against Kon's palms.

Kon shivered and worked to keep his teeth from chattering.

"Are you ok?" Tim asked,his quiet and low but full of concern.

The air was clear tonight, there was no cloud cover to muffle the sounds of their steps or their voices, so Tim leaned in close to speak quietly to Kon. Clouds of mist puffed between them with every word Tim spoke, mingling with Kon's own panting breath.

"I'm fine, I just..." Kon started but didn't have enough breath to finish. He tried hard to even out his breathing but found himself still panting.

Without conscious thought, he wrapped his arms tightly around Tim, every instinct within him driving him. Kon's body, his magic, cried out to him to hold Tim as close as he could. He could feel the power of his magic twisting and writhing just under his skin, wanting to reach into Tim and take...

Take everything that he so desperately needed just then.

"Kon?" Tim asked, his brilliant blue eyes darkened in the soft, almost ghostly, light of the winter night.

"I just..." Kon began, then broke off and dropped his head to Tim's shoulder, pressing his cold face into the warm skin of Tim's neck. Tim shivered, but didn't pull away, his hands tightening their grip on Kon's back. Feeling Tim's skin pressed against his own provided some level of solace. It quieted his magic to some extent and Kon made himself spend just a few seconds concentrating on breathing.

"You used too much of your magic tonight," Tim said softly. "Hiding us, protecting us. You went too far. I know you did."

Kon shook his head, wanting to ease Tim’s worries but knowing he didn't have the breath for it just then. He could almost feel the turmoil twisting inside of Tim and it hurt to feel but Kon but couldn't manage the words, the gestures, he needed to calm Tim's apprehensions.

"I knew this would happen. That you would push yourself too far..."

Kon found himself tugging off his gloves, almost without thought, he tucked them back into his pockets. Lifting one bare hand he buried it deeply into the warmth of Tim's thick, dark hair. The strands felt soft between his fingers, almost like silk. He used that hand to hold Tim close, feeling as much of him as he could.

"I'm ok, I'll be ok. I just need a minute." Kon said, pushing himself to stand upright again and trying his best to smile convincingly down at Tim. "I just need..."

"What?" Tim asked, his voice pitched low with worry. He lifted one gloved hand to cup gently at Kon's cheek, tenderly pressing his fingers to Kon's face and running his thumb lightly over the skin at the corner of Kon's mouth. "Tell me what you need..."

Despite the cold, Kon felt something hot flash through him then. A thick warmth pooled in his stomach and he looked down into Tim's beautiful face and...

It hadn't been a thought or even a choice Kon made. Not consciously. One moment he was looking down at Tim and the next he had his mouth pressed against Tim's cool, soft lips.

Tim didn't make a sound, just moved in close and tightened his arms around Kon as he did. Gasping hotly between them, Tim pressed forward, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. Kon had to bite back a groan. He was shivering, not from the cold bite of the winter air around them, but from the feel of Tim's mouth against his own and the slender press of his body against Kon's. The sensation of Tim's strong fingers clutching at him made Kon go dizzy.

Heat, like standing before a blazing fire, coursed through Kon as his magic trailed out from him and licked across Tim's skin with a light questing touch. The exhaustion, the pain, the breathless hitch in his chest all melted away under the feel of Tim's body pressed against his own. He could tell Tim’s heart was pounding, even through his thick winter clothes. Kon could almost feel the emotions roiling off of him. Kon’s body moved instinctively to drink it in, his magic singing for every beat of Tim's heart, every panting breath, every sigh and every gasp he coaxed from Tim.

Shivering, Tim pulled back, blinking up at Kon. He bit his lower lip thoughtfully as he looked up at Kon through the thick fall of his bangs. The moonlight trailed down to paint Tim's skin a brilliant pale shade, flushed slightly at his cheeks. His eyes were wide and his mouth was wet from their kiss.

He looked ethereal in that moment. Kon knew he would never forget the expression on Tim's face, how the moon shone down brilliantly on him, how his bright blue eyes gleamed with warmth and affection, how the biting wind blew through his soft dark hair. 

"Kon, I..." Tim started and then broke off, swallowing hard and taking a short step back from Kon.

Kon slid his cold, bare hand into Tim's warm, gloved one. Tim looked back at him and Kon gave him a soft, easy smile.

While he was far from having fully recovered, the fifteen minute walk back to camp no longer seemed like an insurmountable task. Standing straighter, Kon took a deep breath. He was breathing easier now, and his legs felt less leaden than they had. A warmth coiled within him and his magic hummed happily, suddenly flickering back to life. 

"We shouldn’t linger in the clearing," Kon husked. "We’re nearly back to camp.”

Tim swallowed and nodded. Gripping Kon's hand tightly in his, Tim started walking again, out across the clearing, leading them both in the direction of the camp.

It was closer to twenty minutes by the time they got back. Kon was winded again when they arrived. Tim sat him down on a log, wrapping a blanket around him and handing him some slightly stale bread and cheese to eat.

Then Tim settled onto the stump next to Kon and placed a canteen of water and the food pack between their legs. There was a profoundly loud silence stretching between them that Kon was too tired to figure out how to break.

Fortunately, Tim did it for him.

"How are you feeling?" Tim asked, looking up at Kon, the moonlight illuminating the worried expression on his face.

"I'm good," Kon said, smiling reassuringly at Tim. Tim raised a skeptical eyebrow at him and Kon couldn't help but breathe out a tired laugh. "I just need some food and sleep. That's all."

Tim turned to look up at the starry sky above them. Pausing for a long, thoughtful moment, he took a deep breath.

"That's all?" Tim said with a tightness in his voice that Kon couldn't quite identify.

"Ummm," Kon hedged, "it's a start. Several actual meals and a couple of nights in a real bed would also be good. But I'll be fine until we trek back to town tomorrow."

Tim's only response was to make a soft, almost skeptical sound, eyes still fixed on the sky.

Kon leaned over, bumping his shoulder against Tim's until Tim turned to look up at him.

"Really," Kon said. "I'm fine."

Tim swallowed hard, but locked eyes with Kon as he nodded. He straightened somewhat before speaking again.

"The kiss helped."

"Ah, yes. But..." Kon trailed off, not quite sure how to explain or what Tim was expecting to hear from him.

"But?"

"The kiss..." Kon began then smiled at Tim before starting again. "The kiss was nice. Very, very nice. But it was more... Your feelings. How you responded to the kiss that helped."

"My... feelings..."

"Yeah you were worried, almost afraid, and then when I kissed you there was nothing but relief and affection and... uh... Lots of positive emotions that... felt nice," Kon explained haltingly.

"Right… Because your magic reacts to my feelings..." Tim mused, his voice sounding a little hollow.

Kon's magic, which had been sated, kicked up then, twisting inside of him. Tim was feeling something... negative. Kon couldn't place exactly what it was, though he was relieved to realize Tim wasn't angry.

"Yeah, I can-- I can tell sometimes. Not always but, yeah."

"How long… have you been able to sense what I’m feeling?” Tim asked, his tone hesitant. 

"I… I mean it’s not all of the time. It’s easiest for me to sense the positive emotions coming off of you. Like I said, my magic... likes it... when you're happy. It responds to it, takes comfort and strength from it," Kon explained. “Other feelings… I can usually only sense them when you feel something very strongly.”

“How did it… Has it always been that way or…?” Tim trailed off with a shrug, taking a sip from the canteen between them.

“It started... It started at the camp. That first night I healed you. You were in so much pain that when it was gone, I felt the absence of it. The relief you felt. It was almost profound. It got… under my skin, almost."

Tim nodded, looking thoughtful and serious as Kon spoke. 

"Then," Kon continued, "after that, I could only really feel it at the Bluebird. You're always happier, more content, when you're at the Inn with your sisters. And when you're with Duck, he makes you laugh. And then I could feel it when it was just you and me. Spending time with me started to make you happy too and..."

Kon trailed off and Tim took a deep breath, trying to finish the sentence for him.

"And it helped feed your magic."

Kon shook his head wryly.

"I was going to say it made me happy to spend time with you too… But yeah, also that."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

The silence stretched between them again and Tim took a bite of his bread. He chewed thoughtfully, not speaking. 

Kon couldn't help but notice Tim's piece of bread was much smaller than his own and he was eating slower. Pushing thoughts of a warm bowl of soup from his mind, Kon took another bite of bread and cheese.

"I do... Like spending time with you," Tim admitted, after he swallowed.

"But you don't like that I know what you feel, so much..."

"I... I'm adjusting to it," Tim said thoughtfully. "It's not as if you can help it. It's just part of who and what you are."

Kon was, suddenly, feeling a lot less hungry as anxiety bit at him. He put his food back into the pack next to him and turned to face Tim.

"You’re not… Are you still afraid of me? Like you were that first night?" Kon asked, his stomach twisting in knots, not sure he actually wanted to hear Tim's answer.

"No," Tim answered, without hesitation. Then he worked to explain that he meant. "I'm not afraid... I was... Your magic never... It doesn't hurt. It just feels warm. Like you."

Kon couldn't help but smile and when Tim put away the rest of his own food, Kon wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled Tim into a hug. His throat felt tight and he could feel affection and apprehension coming off of Tim. His own magic tickled out to flick at Tim and reassure him.

"I'm glad," Kon husked, then pressed a kiss to Tim's temple.

Tim tilted his head back to lock eyes with Kon. He swallowed hard and took a deep, steadying breath.

"You're not wrong. I... I like this. I like being with you. I like... us."

"Me too. And for what it's worth... I think your dragon likes me too."

Tim laughed at that. Shaking his head as he smiled at Kon.

"Of course Duck's opinion is a very important factor in all of this," Tim said.

"Absolutely," Kon confirmed, grinning back at him.

Tim kissed him again then. And this time, without the desperation, without the exhaustion, without the fear, it tasted even sweeter. Tim's mouth was soft and gentle on his own. His kiss was tentative, almost questing. Tim's cold fingers sank in Kon's hair, holding him close. The hot little puffs of his breath tickled at Kon's skin and made him shiver. Kon's magic kicked up, wrapping around them both like a shimmering blanket of warm energy.

Breaking the kiss, Tim huffed out a laugh, looking around them for the invisible tendrils of Kon's magic.

"This might take a little getting used to, though."

"We'll work on it," Kon promised with a smile.

When they finally went to sleep, they shared a bedroll again, like they did that night Kon had healed Tim. The warmth of Tim's body pressed against his and the happy, satiated hum of his magic tugged Kon to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> OMG guys, they finally kissed IRL! Or whatever the fictional equivalent of that is. And only 26,000 words into this series. Making some progress.
> 
> Duck will be so happy when Kon starts sleeping over, though. Kon is an easy mark for extra treats...


End file.
